ALPENA — The Voice of Democracy and the Patriot’s Pen Scholarship deadline is midnight Oct. 31, and the VFW Post 2496 is encouraging local students to apply.

The Voice of Democracy is open to students enrolled in grades 9 to 12, and the Patriot’s Pen is open to students in grades 6 to 8.

The national Voice of Democracy first-place winner receives a $35,000 scholarship paid directly to the recipient’s American university, college or vocational/technical school. Other national scholarships range from $1,000-$21,000, and the first-place winner from each VFW Department (state) wins at least a scholarship of $1,000.

This year’s Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen theme is “How Are You Showing Patriotism and Support for Our Country?”

The national Patriot’s Pen first-place winner receives a $5,000 scholarship. Each first-place state winner receives a minimum of $500.

To learn more, visit vfw.org/community/youth-and-education/youth-scholarships.